The last book i read was the incredible Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie which i shared some thoughts about over here, but there were a couple more passages that really stood out to me when i read the book and so here they are.

This first extract is another blog post by the main character, Ifemelu:

What Academics Mean by White Privilege, or Yes It Sucks to Be Poor and White but Try Being Poor and Non-White

So this guy said to Professor Hunk, “White privilege is nonsense. How can I be privilged? I gew up fucking poor in West Virginia. I’m an Appalachian hick. My family is on welfare.” Right. But privilege is always relative to something else. Now imagine someone like him, as poor and as fucked up, and then make that person black. If both are caught for drug possession, say, the white guy is more likely to be sent to treatment and the black guy is more likely to be sent to jail. Everything else the same except for race. Check the stats. The Appalachian hick guy is fucked up, which is not cool, but if he were black, he’d be fucked up plus.

He also said to Professor Hunk: Why must we always talk about race, anyway? Can’t we just be human beings? And Professor Hunk replied – that is exactly what white privilege is, that you can say that. Race doesn’t really exist for you because it has never been a barrier. Black folks don’t have that choice. The black guy on the street in New York doesn’t want to think about race, until he tries to hail a cab, and he doesn’t want to think about race when he’s driving his Mercedes under the speed limit, until a cop pulls him over. So Appalachian hick guy doesn’t have class privilege but he sure as hell has race privilege. What do you think? Weigh in, readers, and share your experiences, especially if you are non-black. 

PS – Professor Hunk just suggested I post this, a test for White Privilege, copyright a pretty cool woman called Peggy Mcintosh. If you answer mostly no, then congratulations, you have white privilege. What’s the point of this you ask? Seriously? I have no idea. I guess it’s just good to know. So you can gloat from time to time, lift you up when you’re depressed, that sort of thing. So here goes…

Instead of typing out the Peggy Mcintosh list i will rather give you this link you can click, to go and take a look. If you are someone who is white and somehow doesn’t believe you have white privilege, then what have you got to lose? Click that link as a dare and test yourself. You just might be surprised.

“I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible
systems conferring dominance on my group”

Last share from Americanah – cos really, you just need to go and read this book and the beautiful story that is woven around these blog posts, comes from yet another Ifemelu blog post:

Understanding America for the non-American Black: A Few Explanations of What Things Really Mean

  1. Of all their tribalisms, Americans are most uncomfortable with race. If you are having a conversation with an American, and you want to discuss something racial that you find interesting, and the American says, “Oh, it’s simplistic to say it’s race, racism is so complex,” it means they just want you to shut up already. Because of course racism is complex. Many abolitionists wanted to free the slaves but didn’t want black people living nearby. Lots of folks today don’t mind a black nanny or black limo driver. But they sure as hell don’t want a black boss. What is simplistic is saying, “It’s so complex.” But shut up anyway, especially if you need a job/favor from the American in question.
  2. Diversity means different things to different folks. If a white person is saying a neighborhood is diverse, they mean nine percent black people. (The minute it gets to ten percent black people, the white folks move out.) If a black person says diverse neighborhood, they are thinking forty percent black.
  3. Sometimes they say “culture” when they mean race. They say a film is “mainstream” when they mean “white folks like it or made it.” When they say “urban” it means black and poor and possibly dangerous and potentially exciting. “Racially charged” means we are uncomfortable saying “racist.”

That is all i want to give you for now, because this book needs to be added to your reading list, but if you missed part I of the Americanah book review you can find it by clicking here.